Typewriting machine



A. K. TAYLOR. TYPEWRITING MACHINE.

APFLICAT ON FIL'ED MBA, 1919.

Patented Mar. 14, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT ornca.

ARTHUR K. TAYLOR, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO UNDERWOOD TYPE- WRITER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

TYPEWRITING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent. j Patented Mar, 14;, 1922,

Application filed August 9, 1919. Serial No. 816,461.

To all whom it may concem:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR K. TAYLOR, a citizen of the United States, residing in Baltimore in the county of Baltimore and State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Typewriting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to round platen typewriting machines, and is herein disclosed as applied to an Underwood standard typewriting machine.

In round-platen typewriting machines, the lack of a line-indicator, to indicate the numbers of the lines on a sheet as they are successively written, is often a matter of considerable annoyance, especially when nearing the bottom of a sheet. Such an indicator, according to the present invention, may be provided to indicate the number of lines intervening between the line written on at the moment and the bottom of the work sheet. For this purpose, there may be provided a scale, which is numbered in the direction of the-rotation of the platen, with the result that if set upon writing the first line to indicate by a pointer the number of lines which can be written upon the worksheet, the numbers upon the scale may always indicate by the pointer during the writing the number of lines remaining to be written. The scale may also be correspondingly numbered in the opposite direction, to indicate at the same time the number of lines whichhave been. written.

The device may take the form of a surface adapted to turn with the platen, and capable of receiving a pencil or other mark, so that if such a mark is made at any oint the typist may readily bring the platen to the same point again by rotating it until said mark comes to the pointer. Xlfhis surface may comprise the scale aforesaid.

In order to enable the scale to be readily adjustable to conform to the position of the work-sheet inserted aroundthe platen, the scale may be in the form of a ring, which is adapted to be rotated uponthe axle of the platen. In order to detain the ring at the position in the circumference of the platen at which it is set, its mounting may comprise a channel in which is asuitable form of detaining device:

Other features-and advantages will here'- inafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of parts of an Underwood typewriting machine carriage, showing the present invention as applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a front view of the same, partly in section.

The Underwood typewriter carriage 1 comprises the platen frame 2, having ends 3 and 4 connected by the usual rear papertable 5, which is adapted to guide the worksheets from the rear up in front of the platen 6, to the printing point opposite the type-bar diagrammatically shown at. 7. In order to rotate the platen, the usual linespace handle 8'may actuate the usual linespace slide 9, to rotate the platen by the line space wheel 10, the platen being journaled in the ends inserted around the platen in this way, its leading edge maybe aligned against the 3 and 4;. When a work-sheet is usual wing-scales 12, on each side of the scale which is adapted to be read agalnst the pointer 19 conveniently situated for the typist to read and fast to the top 20 of the end plate 4.

There are thirty-three of the lines 18 spaced at equal distances apart, correspoxfding to the thirty-three teeth of the usual linespace wheel 10, with the result that if the first line 18 is properly set at the pointer 19, the usual detent (not shown) will so hold the platen that every other line upon the ring 17 will fall at the pointer as the platen is rotated. Since the platen of the Underwood typewriter carriage is usually approximately 5% inches in circumference, and worksheets frequently run about 13 inches in length, the ring 17 is shown as divided into is to be read from column 22. When the end of a long work-sheet is being reached, the number of lines written is obviously to be read from column 23. Thus, by an inspection of the columns 21, 22 and 23, the typist will instantly know how many lines have been written, since the length of the worksheet above the wing-scales 12 is easily recognized. a

In order to permit the typist to read in a similar manner the number of lines which may be writtenupon a work-sheet before the bottom is reached, there are also shown red numerals in the columns 21, 22 and 23. It

has been-found preferable to place the red' numeral 1 with the black numeral 99, the red numeral 2 with the black numeral f98, and so forth. This enables the typist, knowing from experience or from memoranda the length of the work-sheet'used, to rotate the ring 17 to bring the appropriate red numeral to the pointer 19, when a worksheet of a given length has its leading edge at the wing-scales 12. Then during the advance of the work-sheet the typist can read directly from the red digits in column 21, 22, or 23, as the case may be, the number of lines which can still be accommodated upon the worksheet.

I have found that where the scale-carrying ring 17 and the finger-wheel bearing surface periphery of the ring may comprise a suit-' able surface, such as celluloid, adapted to receive erasable pencil parks, with the result.

that the typist, instead of reading the numerals, merely looks at the position of the pencil mark relatively tothe pointer 19. In some forms of the device the numerals may be entirely omitted. This pencil mark receiving surface is especially useful in making condensed carbon records of bill-heads, es

pecially where the typist makes out such records during one part of the day, but is likely to be called away between the making of such records.

To use the present invention for this purpose, the typist may insert the short billhead, together with the long record sheet and the carbon, and write the entries thereon.

When making the last entry upon the first bill-head, the typist may make a pencil or other mark at the pointer 19 upon the celluloid surface 24., and then withdraw the billhead while the record sheet and carbon sheet remain in the machine. Then the typist may insert the next bill-head, clamp it to the platen by casting on the feed-rolls, which were cast off to remove the first bill-head, and rotate the platen as many line-spaces as it is desired to separate the entries from each other. The pencil mark upon the celluloid surface 24 enables the typist to attend to the adjusting of the bill-head, and, if need be, to leave the machine for a while, confident that on coming back the pencil mark will indicate whether the platen has been advanced or not. Thus, the pencil mark saves the typist the need of memorizing, .even for a moment, any number displayed upon the scale. This operation can be repeated as many times as is desired, the typist placing pencil marks in as many columns 21, 22, etc., as is convenient. Since such marks are readily erased from celluloid by mere rubbing of the finger or eraser, the celluloid surface may be used for many kinds of work at frequent intervals.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of 'the' invention, and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

. Having thus described my invention, I

claim: 1. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a revoluble platen and an axle therefor, a channeled ring fast to said axle,

a scale carrying-ring revoluble upon the first ring, and a rubber body lying within the channel and bearing against the scale ring to yieldinglv detain it whenever set.

2. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a revoluble platen and an axle therefor, a ring channeled peripherally and fast to the axle, a scale-carrying-rlng journaled on the peripheral surface of the first 'ring, and a rubber body occupying a small part of the channel and adapted to yieldingly detain the scale ring wherever set.

3. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a revoluble platen and a line-space wheel herefor, of a circular scale adapted to be turned relatively to the line-space wheel, numerals upon said scale for each line-space, said numerals running in one direction and being of one color, numerals for each line-space upon said scale in contrasting color and numbered in the opposite direction, and continuing numerals of the first set for a second rotation of the platen into a column adjacent a column for nation with a revoluble platen and a linespace wheel therefor, of a circular scale adapted to be turned relatively to the linespace wheel, numerals upon said scale for each line-space, said numerals running in one direction and being of one'color, numerals for each line-space upon said scale in contrasting color and numbered in the opposite direction, and continuing numerals of the first set for a second rotation of the platen into a column adjacent a column for the first rotation, said second set of numerals also occupying both columns, and the arrangement of numerals being such that any numeral added to a corresponding numeral of the other set makes the same total, and a celluloid surface at each set of numerals, said surface adapted to receive an easily erasable encil mark.

5. In a typewrlting machine, the combination with a. revoluble platen and an axle therefor, of a scale upon said axle com rising a unitary ring having a plurality 6 adjacent circumferential co umns of numerals progressively numbered in one direction, and a similar number of columns progressively numbered in an opposite direction,

'said columns being so disposed that the numerals of one column alternate with the numerals of the other column in a circumferential direction, the numerals of the two sets forming pairs all totaling the same amount.

40 6. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a revoluble platen and an axle therefor, of a channeled ring fast to said axle, a scale-carrying ring revoluble upon said first ring, and friction means within the channel and bearing against the scale ring to yieldingly detain the ring wherever set.

7. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a revoluble platen and an axle therefor, of a peripherally-channeled fingerwheel fast to said axle, a scale-ring revoluble upon said finger-wheel, and friction means within the channel of the finger-wheel and bearing against the scale-ringto yieldingly detain the scale-ring wherever set.

- 8. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a revoluble platen and an axle therefor, of a scale on said-axle comprising a'unitary ring having a-plurality of adjacent circumferential columns containing a set of numerals rogressively ascending in one direction and also containing a second set of numerals progressively. ascending in theopposite direction, adjacent numerals of the two sets forming pairs all totaling the same amount.

9. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a revoluble platen and an axle therefor, of a scale on said axle comprising a unitary ring having a plurality of adjacent circumferentlal columns containing a set of" numerals progressively ascending in one direction and a so containing a second set of numerals progressively ascending in the opposite direction.

ARTHUR K. TAYLOR.

Witnesses: LEwIs E. WEBER, Enrm B. 1118311.} 

